For many advisers, Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) may still look like a future market. In reality, it is a protection conversation that should start now. Young South Africans entering the workforce have decades of earning potential ahead of them, yet many still view life cover and income protection as products for “later” – after the first home, marriage or children. That delay creates risk for clients and missed planning opportunities for advisers.
The core advice message is simple: for Gen Z, income is the asset that funds everything else. It pays for rent, transport, debt repayments, emergency savings, and long-term investing. The challenge is behavioural. Younger clients are especially vulnerable to present bias – prioritising immediate expenses and lifestyle goals over low-frequency, high-impact risks such as disability, severe illness or death.
How advisers can make protection resonate with Gen Z
Rather than leading with mortality, advisers should lead with income continuity, affordability, and flexibility. Gen Z responds to practical value: protecting pay cheques, keeping debit orders running and avoiding financial regression after a health event. Starting cover early can also mean lower premiums and fewer underwriting complications than waiting until health risks emerge later.
For clients without dependants, the conversation may begin with disability or income protection rather than large life cover amounts. As careers progress and liabilities increase, cover can scale with them. This staged approach helps advisers meet Gen Z where they are financially, while establishing an advice relationship early.
The cost of waiting is higher for younger clients than it looks
Delaying protection is not a neutral decision. It can mean higher premiums, exclusions or reduced access to cover later. For a generation already juggling debt, rising costs of living, and uncertain employment conditions, early protection can be one of the few financial decisions that becomes harder and more expensive if postponed.
That is why advisers should treat Gen Z not as “too young to insure”, but as clients with the longest income horizon to protect. The earlier the advice conversation starts, the greater the chance of building resilient, long-term financial habits around protection, saving, and investment.
Three practical actions for advisers
- Reframe the conversation. Start with earning power, cash-flow resilience and future flexibility rather than product features.
- Keep the entry point simple. Recommend an affordable base of protection that can expand as the client’s life changes.
- Use the channels Gen Z prefers. Clear digital communication, fast follow-up and transparent explanations can improve engagement without replacing personal advice.
Advisers who act early can build clients for life
Gen Z is not too young for life insurance advice – it is the ideal stage for it. For advisers, the opportunity is to make protection feel relevant, accessible and aligned to real life. When positioned correctly, income protection and life cover are not just products for later-life milestones – they are foundational tools for a generation trying to build financial momentum in a demanding economy.
This article is attributed to Chief Financial Officer at BrightRock, Izak van der Westhuizen. It’s a print article that was originally published by Money Marketing on 30 June 2026.